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I love historical fiction, so I really enjoyed reading this. It's not too heavy as it alternates between Mary's story in present time New York, as well as Elyse's so it's not just focused on the past. Even if you're not a fan of historical fiction, you might still enjoy this. I simply couldn't put it down and I would have probably read it in one sitting if I hadn't started this book so late in the day. The storyline and plot twists kept me intrigued. It's a great reminder of the difficult decisions and sacrifices we're all capable of making for our families and for the people we love and care about, and of the shame and regret one has to carry throughout life when mistakes are made and promises are broken, as well as the importance of acceptance and forgiveness.
The dialogues and character interactions, as well as the realism of the plot, and the way the story has been written had me in awe of the author's writing. I found myself invested in Mary and Elyse right from the very start. The author has a way of making her characters; even the ones who only make one or two appearances, matter to you.
She is just so good at developing her characters and making you care about them and about what happens to them in each and every chapter that I was hooked! Mary's story and Elyse's story are equally interesting. They're both strong and brave and funny. It was a joy to witness their growing friendship and I really wanted to know more about them.
I certainly felt a number of emotions reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I even grinned like an idiot at times. I admit I was both happy and sad when I was done reading this because I didn't want their stories to end. It was definitely an emotional ride. I highly recommend reading this book. Memorable Quote "What is it about being on the precipice of change that makes one capable of joy and fear simultaneously? If I worry that maybe I'm next, I'm already done for, so instead I wake up each day and tell myself there's a reason I'm here.
Dec 17, Sue rated it really liked it. It is so wonderful to read a book with an older main character.
I get so tired of reading books about 20 somethings that reading about 87 year old Mary is a breath of fresh air. And to top that its a wonderful book with two strong main characters. Along with Mary and her secrets, there is 15 year old Elyse who wants to be a writer and who becomes Mary's friend and helper. A very strong bond is built between the two characters as Mary shares the secrets of her life with the teenager. The author d It is so wonderful to read a book with an older main character.
The author did great research into the women pilot's of WWII and more needs to be written about these often forgotten heroic women. There is much more in the novel and in Mary's life than her time as a pilot and with Elyse's help, she is able to reveal it all. This is a wonderful book. Its both a coming of age story of Elyse but also an summation of life story for Mary. Thanks to LibraryThing for providing this book for a fair and honest review. Apr 26, Brenna rated it really liked it. The historical fiction part is told in flashbacks, but I did not find it confusing.
The primary characters are women, and all well developed. The main character is only 15, but mature, and I like the way the writer wrote her experiences with family issues, best friend arguments, and meeting boys. Definitely a good read, especially for someone interested in WASPs, the female civilian pilots who assisted the military during the war.
Jun 01, N. There's a twist in this book that felt a little too convenient but it made for the most beautiful, uplifting ending. I loved the relationship between Mary and Elyse, loved the honesty of their frustrations so true to life , loved learning the history of the WASPs and adored the way Mary's friends rallied around her when she really needed them.
Jan 14, Ronnie rated it really liked it. I loved this book! Mar 03, Ashley rated it it was ok. I received th Rating: I received this book as a gift from a friend, an uncorrected proof that is not for sale, if I may add! So I feel I must be completely honest with this review, as it is really interesting to be given this opportunity to review a book that is at this stage.
Write because you have something to say. The problem, however, is that she feels incapable of doing it herself. It is clear, however, that Mary is hiding something. Meanwhile, Elyse finds time to write amidst chaos within her family as her parents argue and her grandmother is ill and far from reach. Changing time periods and character perspectives throughout the novel make this an interesting and decent read.
It was both descriptive and simple where it needed to be. I thought the plot could have been a bit more simple as well because it seemed to be as if the author just tried to put too much into the book. Maybe it was put in for more character development? I did love the character development of the book as well. Mary is very complex with an interesting backstory. The way she comes to be estranged from her family could be an entire book in itself.
She is an American-Jew that is inclined to become involved in the war, particularly to fly. I do wish it was explained a bit more where exactly the fascination to fly stems from I also wished it would have gone into more detail about her friendships she made through the process because those were strong for me; I could have done without the entire romance aspect of it, although it is essential for a very important aspect of the plot as to how she became estranged from her family. I also like Elyse as a character, although again I found her romance interest pointless to the plot of the novel.
When the women went out in public they would lie about what they did because at the time, women were discouraged from working in general. I lost interest during parts of the book and the plot essentially became much too convoluted and overwhelming for me. The author created these two main characters that in my mind each could have had their own books because too much was happening at once for both of them. I feel like this author tried to accomplish too much in such a short book.
What are the odds of Mary and Elyse being connected like that? Why do authors always go for the gusto of making things so painfully obvious and ridiculous? Jan 18, Penny Literary Hoarders rated it really liked it Shelves: I fairly ripped through this one in just a few short days! I know it's showing a month here, but I just put that into my queue so that it would ensure it was the next one I read. Thank you so very much to the author for sending this one to me, I'm sorry it took me so long to read it - definitely poor judgement on my part for letting other ones get in before this one.
This is a wonderful story! Fantastic and entirely real and wholly developed characters. I recommend for sure. Dec 29, Lesley rated it really liked it Shelves: Nice relationship between a teenager and a 87 year old woman! Jan 24, Dianne rated it really liked it. I became very absorbed in this story. Although it revolves around family estrangement, separation and identity there were moments of sheer pleasure in the beautiful narrative. The story alternates between both their lives covering events around WW2 and the present, where Elyse is caught up in the dramas of all the adults in I became very absorbed in this story.
The story alternates between both their lives covering events around WW2 and the present, where Elyse is caught up in the dramas of all the adults in her life. Mary, her parents, her aunty and grandmother. I just wanted to keep reading to the end. Mar 26, Susan Koski rated it really liked it.
Nov 24, Challice Neipp rated it really liked it. Really enjoyed this novel. I would read more from this author. May 12, Diane rated it really liked it. In The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler, Mary Browning is an 87 year-old widow who runs a writing group for senior citizens at her local library. One day, a fifteen year-old young lady named Elyse joins the group after seeing an ad in the newspaper. Elyse is unaware that it is a senior citizens group, but the members were more than happy to welcome the youngster to their group.
Mary and Elyse become friends, and Mary hires Elyse to type up her memoirs for her. Mary has many secrets from the gr In The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler, Mary Browning is an 87 year-old widow who runs a writing group for senior citizens at her local library. Mary has many secrets from the group, from her real name Miri Lichtenstein to her former occupation. The book us told in two different voices- Mary's and Elyse's- and in two different time periods.
I found Miri's story of her time training as a pilot, and her camaraderie with her female pilots to be the more interesting of the two stories. One of the more interesting anecdotes which according to the author's notes at the end of the book really happened involved landing in bad weather. The ladies had to land their planes in a remote area. They found a restaurant in this small town, and of course these strange women, unaccompanied by any men, drew interest from the regulars.
A man came to their table and said that they were trying to guess who these ladies were. The women had been told not to tell anyone who they were, so when the man guessed that they were a baseball team, the ladies readily agreed. Just like A League of Their Own! One of the sadder tales involved a pilot who crashed her plane and perished. The women had to take up a collection to send her body back to the woman's parents.
Performer Maggie McMuffin was flying from Boston to Seattle on May 18 when she was asked to cover or be removed from the flight. "But I don't really want to fly JetBlue again and they told me they couldn't In this case, Maggie says she was told the flight crew discussed her.
As they were not officially in the armed services, the government would not cover the cost. That made me so sad and angry. Another aspect of the story that intrigued me concerned the idea of Jewish people hiding their identity. Miri's boyfriend wanted to study medicine, but he had a difficult time getting into medical school because at that time, there was a strict quota for Jewish men in medical school.
I had never heard of that, and found it so shocking that in the United States in the 's this blatant discrimination existed.
He had to decide whether to hide his identity to achieve his goal, when his relatives had to hide their identity in Europe to avoid being sent to concentration camps. The strain that this decision caused himself and his family was enlightening. And I have never seen so many people just cut themselves off from family members as in this book. Mary had many secrets that she kept from those around her, and when we slowly discover them, it becomes easier to see why Mary was so lonely.
Both of the books feature an older woman whose earlier life held a fascination for the teenage girl they befriend. Both books tell of two women of different ages and experiences and how they changed each other. There is a twist of fate at the end of the story that is hinted at at the beginning. I personally found it to be a little too coincidental, but it does bring the story full circle. I loved learning about the women flyers. Aug 26, Laura Carter rated it did not like it Shelves: I had trouble getting into this book, and then the random cussing and sexual innuendos just ended it for me.
Totally unnecessary and out of place in this type of book. I would have to go back a page or two because I thought I was reading one perspective, and found out it was someone else. I stopped reading a couple of chapters in. It felt like the author was trying to mix a historical mystery with I had trouble getting into this book, and then the random cussing and sexual innuendos just ended it for me. Dec 09, Joanne rated it liked it. I think that I would have rated this book higher, as I really enjoyed the plot, but it somewhat confusing for me as the author went back and forth between alternating points-of-view.
I thought all modern narrations would be done by the older lady, but that wasn't always the case. I think this novel might have benefited from some editing in that regards. I thought the characters were well thought out and well described. There were, of course, numerous plot threads weaving about and once you get t I think that I would have rated this book higher, as I really enjoyed the plot, but it somewhat confusing for me as the author went back and forth between alternating points-of-view.
There were, of course, numerous plot threads weaving about and once you get the hang of it, it's easy enough to follow, but at one point I thought there were just too many lines that were being tugged at once. The ending was nicely done and all in all I would recommend this book. You will enjoy the history of the WWII women aviators if you enjoy history. On a side note, I was able to go through a section of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo this past year that had a display on women aviators of WWII, so this book had special meaning for me.
Apr 03, PopcornReads rated it really liked it Shelves: The Secrets of Flight is told from two perspectives: I found it fascinating and hope you will too — and someone is going to win a copy in our giveaway at http: Sep 10, Lauren Denton rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoy reading books with multiple narrators, even more if they're told in different time periods. As a writer, I know how hard it is to pull this off and have your reader invested in each character, and as a reader, it bugs me when I'm reading a book like this, and I'm almost skimming one POV or one character to get back to the one s I really like.
This book was rare in that I really felt connected too all three--Mary as an old woman in her writing group, Miri as a young woman training to fly I enjoy reading books with multiple narrators, even more if they're told in different time periods. This book was rare in that I really felt connected too all three--Mary as an old woman in her writing group, Miri as a young woman training to fly airplanes and falling in love, and Elyse as the young writer who stumbles into Mary's life and her writing group.
The book pulled me in from the very first pages with Mary's snappy attitude and humor. The book had humor and heartbreak, and a few times, the author totally surprised me with a reveal of something I didn't see coming. Jun 11, M. Edwards rated it really liked it. The switching of POVs was off-putting at first, especially since it happens within the first few chapters before you manage to warm up to either protagonist, but once the conceit becomes clear and the characters are established, I realized it couldn't have been written any other way.
The book was written well and followed two different voices. The Language of Flowers: Daughter signs lyrics to deaf dad at rock concert. The mod Absolutely amazing novel. Stepping off the flight at LAX airport wearing a causal black Thrasher tracksuit with a grey T-shirt, khaki bomber jacket and black sneakers. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
A thoroughly joyous book along the same vein as Major Pettigrew. My gosh, does this mean I've officially crossed over? Am I no longer a YA reader? Am I now destined to find characters in their twilight years more en The switching of POVs was off-putting at first, especially since it happens within the first few chapters before you manage to warm up to either protagonist, but once the conceit becomes clear and the characters are established, I realized it couldn't have been written any other way.
Am I now destined to find characters in their twilight years more engrossing and more relatable? Because although Elyse is fifteen, I found myself mildly impatient when it was her turn to narrate, especially with the bits about Holden. I much rather preferred it when Mary spoke; even Miri was not as compelling as her older counterpart. Books by Maggie Leffler. Trivia About The Secrets of Fl No trivia or quizzes yet.
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How are you doing? We're going to take our time here. We've got plenty of time. You have plenty of fuel. We've got plenty of daylight. With a clear tarmac and assistance from her instructor, Taraska managed to land the plane safely. Singleton did not immediately respond to a request for an interview with ABC News. Taraska said that she was trying to pull herself together and use the emergency landing skill that she has practices as a pilot.
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